Puzzling

American and British crosswords. Is there a difference? The short answer is HELL YES! Now for the long answer ... There are major differences between American-style and British-style crosswords (which are seen in Commonwealth countries too).  Crosswords were started by Arthur Wynne in 1913, a British man who lived in America, so both countries claim a close connection with the development of this popular puzzle. They developed in slightly different directions in each country, which has led to the varieties we see today. American-style crosswords are almost exclusively published in America, while British-style crosswords have spread through the Commonwealth — Australia, New Zealand, Canada, South Africa, and other English-speaking nations tend to prefer this variety of the puzzle, as well as the United Kingdom, of course. A quick look at these grids will show you the most obvious difference between the two varieties : British-style Not...

Wow, guys! What a great selection of cryptic clues you've sent in, I've really enjoyed reading all of them. I hope you've all had fun writing them too, and that you've got a bit of a taste for what cryptic clue writing entails  :) My good friend and colleague Greg Parker (he of Puzzle Wizard fame) and I have discussed all your entries, and have agreed on the following winners: FIRST Island weaves its charms (Len) Christmas Island is the definition here, a really nice lateral take on the word Christmas! And the rest of the clue ( weaves as the anagram indicator, and its charms as the fodder) just flows beautifully. Great job, Len. SECOND Noel crashed Smith's car (Golem) Noel  is the definition, with a nice bit of ambiguity as to whether Noel is a holiday or a man's name.   Crashed  is the anagram indicator, and Smith's car  is the fodder. Really smooth surface reading. THIRD March sits awkwardly as a time to celebrate (Des) A time to...